Wave-motor



3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

(No Model.) 4

P. WRIGHT. WAVE MOTOR. No. 589,520. Patente xd ept. 7,1897.

, INVENTOR:

By 142': Az'z'omey WITNESSES:

-%% ii A120. 4.

(No Model.) 3 SheetsSheet 2.

P. WRIGHT. WAVE MOTOR.

No. 589,520. Patented Sept. 7,1897.

d/H IWOR: I J 1 9 ,Aitoey P. WEIGHT.

3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

WAVE MOTOR.

(No Model.)

INVENTOR:

M13 Alien W3 UNTTEn STATES PATENT Trice.

WAVE-MOTOR.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 589,520, dated September '7', 1897.

Application filed May 11, 1896. Serial No. 591,087. (No model.)

To all whom it lit/1.7 concern..-

Ee it known that I, PARVIN \VRIGHT, a ci1izen of the United States, residing at Keswick, in the county of Shasta and State of California, have made a new and useful Invention in YVaveMotors, of which the following is a specification.

My invention is directed particularly to improvements in that type of wave-motors in which a float is utilized by rising and falling with the waves; and its objects are, first, to so construct and arrange such a float that it will transmit power from the waves to pumping mechanism in such manner as to utilize the force of the waves in one direction and the weight of the float only in the other to the best possible advantage; second, to so connect the float or floats of such a wave-motor to the pumping mechanism that the stroke of the pump willbe constant for all positions of said float or floats in rising and falling; third, to connect a float through one or more pairs of levers with a source of power-transmittin g mechanism and power-storing mechanism and to combine the same with a motor device or motor designed to utilize the power stored. I accomplish these objects by the wavc-motor and mechanism hereinafter described, the essentially novel features of my invention being particularly pointed out in the claims at the end of this specification.

My invention will be fully understood by referring to the accompanying drawings, in which- Figure l is a part sectional part elevational view illustrating my improvedwave motor as operatively connected to pumping mechanism, which in turn is operatively connected through a pressure-tank with means for driving the well-known form of Pelton waterwheel. 2 is a plan view of a plant illustrating a series of my improved wave-motors operatively connected to pumping mechanism and Pelton water-wheels, which in turn are geared to a dynamo-electric machine. Fig. 3

is a detail part sectional partelevation a1 view of my improved means for opcratively connecting a wave motcr with a pump in such manner that the piston of the pump will always be given the same stroke in each direction no matter what the height or fall of the wave may be. Fig. lis a detail plan view of said connecting mechanism; and Fig. 5 is a sectional elevational view of the same as taken on the line 5 5, Fig. 3, and as seen looking from theleft toward the right-hand side of the drawing upon that figure.

Referring now to the drawings in detail, and first to Figs. 1 and 2, A A represent the framework of a power-house secured upon piles K K at the shore and adapted to protect or cover the pumping mechanism, consisting of. a pump P, having the usual piston-head operatively connected by a piston-rod M with two bell-crank levers L L secured in the usual way to the framework or floor of the power-house. (See Figs. 3 and at.) The pump P is connected by a pipe N with a pressure tank or chamber T, provided with well-known forms of water-level and pressure gages, and said tank is in turn connected with a pipe provided with a nozzle located in alinement with the buckets of the well-known form of Pelton water-wheel W, the flow of water from said nozzle being regulated by a hand-valve H.

O is a return-pipe located beneath the water-wheel and adapted to carry the water from said wheel to a stationary supply-chamber beneath the pump P, a pipe being provided in said supply-chamber for conveying water therefrom to the pump P, as indicated by the arrows.

B B are side walls composed of piles driven in alinement with each other and supported at their tops by stringers, the arrangement of said side walls being substantially as shown in Fig. 2, being a central wall where two orimore of my wave-motors are operatively connected together.

L L are levers pivoted in pairs at p p at points beneath the power-house and pivoted in turn at their outer ends atpp to uprights S S, rigidly secured near the opposite ends of a float U, which float is so constructed as to be of great strength and with its outer lower face J presenting an angular front to the incoming waves, While its upper face is inclined inward toward the shore for all heights of the tide for the purpose of conveying away any water which dashes over it. This float is partially filled with sand and is pivotally conncctcd by one or more pairs of levers to a sta tionary support and in such manner as to maintain the upper surface thereof always at an angle to the level of the sea for all conditions of tide and wind, so as to always present to incoming waves the same angle of action against the outer lower inclined face. In other words, the float will always assume the position shown in Fig. 1 of the drawings for all conditions of tide and wind, so that the standards S S will always remain vertical and the upper surface will always instantly shed any water which may actually be dashed over the outer edge, the object being to always present the same angular face to incoming waves and afford a constant uplifting force therefrom on the upward movement of the float, and likewise to afford always a constant downward force acting vertically in the line of the standards S S on the return of the float to its lower position. This feature of maintaining the float in the manner indicated I regard as very material in the maintaining of constant action for all conditions of tide and wind. These pivoted levers L L are adapted to rise and fall between pairs of guiding-piles K K, which prevent any endwise movement of the floats, said piles K K, as before indicated, constituting also a support for the power-house. At a point 19 between the ends of each of the levers L is pivotally secureda rod R, which extends upward through the floor of the powerhouse and is connected to the bell-crank levers L L by means of an automatically-adjustable mechanism shown in detail in Figs. 3, 4, and 5 for so regulating the application of the power transmitted to the piston -rod M during the upward and downward movements of the float that said piston-rod will always be given the same amount of movement in either direct-ion for all conditions of tide and waves. I will now describe this improved connectingmechanism by referring especially to Figs. 3, 4, and 5 of the drawings.

0 represents a two-part sleeve or clutch pivotally secured at '2) v to the outer ends of the bell-crank levers L L which in turn are secured to the piston-rod M, as already described. This two-part sleeve or clutch O is provided on one side withan adjustable handoperated uniting-bolt b and on the other with asecond uniting bolt and nutb, which bolt and nut not only hold the parts of the clutch together, but are adapted to simultaneously grip between the inner jaws of the clutch a yielding arm L the end inner of which extends into the path of two adjustable screwstops G G, carried by a bracket secured to the fr am e which supports the bell-crank levers L L.

e e are elastic or yielding washers secured also by the bolt and nut 12 against the outer faces of the two parts of the clutch, the arrangement of all of said parts being such that when the apparatus is in the position shown in Fig. 3 the clutch firmly grips the rod R and permits said rod to impart motion in either direction to the bell-crank levers L L.

It will be observed upon examination of Fig. 5 that the yielding arm L is pivotally secured by the bolt 17 between the inwardlyextending edges of the split sleeve or clamp C and is of elliptical shape in cross-section, and that when it is in its central position in corresponding elliptical grooves in the inner faces of said inwardly-extending edges, as shown in Fig. 3, the parts of the clamp or split sleeve 0 will firmly grasp or hold the rod R, owing to the expansive action of the yielding washers e c. This automatic clamp or split sleeve 0 is rendered readily adjustable by means of the hand-operated unitingbolt 1), the inner adjoining faces of the parts united bysaid bolt being of curvilinear form, as shown in Fig. 4.

The operation of my invention is as follows: When the apparatus is connected up in the manner show-n in Fig. 1, each time the float U is lifted by an incoming wave the pivoted levers L L impart to the rod R an upward motion, carrying with it the split sleeve or clamp C, which sleeve or clamp so long as it remains in the position shown in Fig. 3 will impart motion to the bell-crank levers L L thereby imparting an inward motion to the piston-rod M, and hence to the piston-head of the pump P, thereby forcing water from the supply-tank, as indicated by the arrows, through the pipe M into the pressure tank or chamber T. The length of the yielding arm L is such that at the time that the pistonhead of the pump P approximately reaches its extreme stroke the free end of said yielding arm L comes into mechanical contact with the adjustable stop G, thereby causing said yielding arm to tilt about its point of support, the belt I), and simultaneously to exercise a wedge-like action upon the inner extending edges of the split sleeve or clamp 0 against the pressure of the elasticor yielding washers e 6. This wedging action is sufficient to release the split sleeve or clutch from the rod R and allow it (the rod B) to continue on its upward course if the wave be of abnormal height, thereby leaving the clutch to slide upon the rod until said rod returns with the downward movement of the wave. As soon as this occurs the split sleeve or clutch immediately grasps the rod R, and consequentlya downward motion is imparted to the outer ends of the bell-crank levers L L and the piston-rod M is now returned in a reverse direction until the free end of the yielding arm L comes into mechanical contact on its downward movement with the lower adjustable stop G, when the split sleeve or clamp is again released from the rod R in the same manner as before and said rod allowed to move downward to the extreme lower limit of the float and wave. On the upward motion of the float the power is im parted to the pump by the lifting action solely of the wave, while on the downward motion the return act-ion of the pump is imparted solely by the weight of the loaded float of the peculiar construction shown, the arrangement being such that the action of said float is constant for all kinds ofwaves. In other words, I depend for the forward action of the pump upon the lifting power of the incoming wave alone and the reverse act-ion thereof solely upon the weight of the float itself, there being no counteraction due to any wave which may break overit. This feature I consider as of great value in view of the fact that the mechanism is always subjected to the same strains under all conditions of wave and tide.

It will be noticed that owing to the automatic adj ustability of the split slee ve or clamp C it always remains at such points'of active or operative connection with the rod R as to give to the piston M a complete stroke in each direction for all conditions of tide and waves. This feature of automatic adjustability in the connections between a wave-motor and the source of power actuated thereby when combined with my novel form of float I regard also as of great importance, and my claims in this particular are generic.

In Fig. 2 of the drawings Ihave shown the application of my improved wave-motor to a series of floats U U U, united together by chains and sustained at their extreme ends by guy-ropes, said floats being in turn connected one to two sets of actuating-levers L L and each of the others to single pairs of levers L L, but all connected to pumps P P P through the agency of my improved split sleeves or clutches and to two pressure tanks or chambers T T, which are in turn adapted to actuate two Pelton water-wheels N V, said Pelton wheels being in turn geared through shaftingw to a dynamo-electric machineX or to any preferred means for utilizing the power thus transmitted-such, for instance, as mechanism for lifting water, compressing air, or in fact any of the wellknown means of storing energy.

No claim is made in the present application to a wave-motor system provided with a number of floats having independent movement and each operatively connected with a pump, in combination with a compression-chamber operative] y connected with all of said pumps, said compression-chamber being connected in turn to a water-motor, whereby the united action of all of the pumps is caused to give a continuous and steady flow of water to the water-motor, as this feature is claimed by me in a separate application filed by me in the United States Patent Office on the 28th day of July, 1897, and bearing Serial No. 646,173; nor do I claim herein mechanism for regulating the application of power from a variablespeed motor consisting of a pump operatively connected to said motor and a compressionchamber connected to said pump, in combination with a water-motor operatively connected to said compression-chamber, as this feature constitutes the subject-matter of a separate application tiled by me in the United States Patent Office on the 2d day of July, 1897, and bearing Serial No. 643,219.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure byLetters Patent of the United States, is

1. In a wave-motor a float provided with an inclined top surface and an inclined outer bottom face, said float being pivotally connected to one or more stationary points of support in such manner that it maintains its top surface at a constant inclination for all conditions of tide and wind, substantially as described.

2. In a wave-motor a float having an inclined outer face adapted to receive the force of incoming waves and an inclined top surface adapted to shed any overflowing water, in combination with one or more vertical standards secured by one or more pairs of pivoted levers to a stationary point of sup port and in such manner that the vertical standards remain always vertical and the inclined face always inclined for all conditions of tide and wind.

3. A Wave-motor provided with an inclined face for receiving the force of incoming waves, said motor being pivotally secured to a stationary point of support in such manner that the aforesaid inclined face presents the same angle of inclination to the waves for all conditions of tide and wind, substantially as described.

4. A wave-motor consisting of a float having a horizontall y-disposed bottom, an outer lower inclined face which maintains an an gular relation to incoming waves, an upper inwardlyinclined surface adapted to shed any overflowing Water, in combination with one or more vertical standards pivotally secured by one or more pairs of levers to a stationary point of support, and means for connecting said levers to a source of power, the arrangement being such that the vertical standards remain vertical for all conditions of wind and tide, and the inclined. face and surface offer always constant angles of inclination to the incoming waves and overflowing water, substantially as described.

5. Awave-motor consisting of a float having an inclined face for receiving the force of incoming waves and an inclined top surface for shedding any overflowing water; one or more vertical standards pivotally connected through oneor more pairs of levers to a stationary point of support, in combination with power-transmittin g mechanism and interconnecting clutching mechanism adapted to act constantly upon the power transmitting mechanism under all conditions of tide and waves, substantially as described.

6. A wave-motor consisting of a float pivotally secured to one or more pairs of levers pivoted to a stationary support, in combination with a pivoted rod or rods attached to said levers and clutching mechanism attached to a source of power-transmission, said clutching mechanism being provided with means for automatically giving to the source of power waves, an inclined top surface adapted to: shed overflowing ater, one o r'more pairs. of levers pivotally connecting said float with a stationary point of support, mechanism connecting said levers with a pump, a pressure-tank op eratively connected with said pump, and a. water wheel operatively connected with said I pressure-tank, substantially as described.

9. In a system of power-transmission a float having an inclined face adapted to receive the force of incoming Waves, an inclined top surface adapted to shed the overflow of such waves, one or more pairs. of pivoted levers operatively connecting said float with a static-nary point of support. and in such manner as to maintain its angular relations constant with relation to the surface of the sea; mechanism operatively connecting said levers with a power-transmission as a pump, power-storingmechanism in the nature of a pressuretank operatively connected with said pump, and a source of Water-supply, in combination with a Pol-ton water-Wheel and circulating pipes between the water-wheel, the source of Water-supply, and the pressure-tank, substantially as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereuntosubscribed my name this 1st day of April, 1896..

PARVIN WRIGHT. Witnesses:

C. WRIGHT, RUBY WRIGHT. 

